


sempiterno

by Bitway



Category: Tales of Symphonia
Genre: Drabble Collection, M/M, One Shot Collection, spoilers probably
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-03
Updated: 2016-10-24
Packaged: 2018-08-19 07:27:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8195888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bitway/pseuds/Bitway
Summary: There are moments during our life that seem to last forever. There are moments that shall never be forgotten. They can last through all eternity, even if not recorded in history.





	1. Letters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apparently have a habit for making collections haha;; anyway, this is the OTP of the series and I just want more fics of them. So here's some drabbles/oneshots that will usually be inspired by prompts or anything really.

_~Letters~_

Genis was never one to write letters. He could write essays of all kinds, thorough analyses of any subject his sister could imagine, critique any given book, even write one if given enough time. There were so many things he could write, but letters were a completely different matter.

They were nothing like the academic papers he was used to. Letters were supposed to be filled with emotion, personal feelings. Essays could, in a sense, if one was truly passionate but it wasn't the same.

You couldn't put love into an essay like you could a letter, could you?

He didn't know the answer to that. Part of him wanted to argue that it was possible, depending on one's opinion of love. Though he found that it would just circle back to how heated one was over such a subject, or person.

It was a shame that love could never be taught; this was something that had to be learned. Through one's own experience no less.

Genis had experienced love. Not once, but twice. He thinks he did anyway. Love was something…something he could not explain. It baffled him at times, confused him, made him question his sanity.

Was he even in love at all?

_"Raine…how do you know when you're...in love?"_

It had been an embarrassing question to ask. The memory of it was so vivid, his cheeks would even blush to a simple thought of it. His mind always raced to one person, other than his sister, when he thought back on that, when he thought back on that question.

Mithos.

Raine did not have an answer, not one that he found useful anyway. She was inexperienced as well. The type of love she was truly familiar with was familial love. That was different. Yet, he knew what that kind of love was.

Romantic love, was a different story.

So, how was he supposed to write a heartfelt letter?

Lloyd told him to write what came to mind, even if it was just nonsense, keep it short. Colette suggested writing fond memories, ones that could be relived through writing. Sheena had answered by just being blunt, be yourself. Zelos…he had given the most typical response, over romanticize everything, make it fancy and never stop spouting the word 'love'. Regal had a more formal suggestion, making it almost sound like he should be asking for a meeting or even a hand in marriage.

Genis never asked Presea. Nor did he ask Raine.

He tried taking their suggestions into consideration. They all seemed good in their own way. But they didn't suit him, he thought. He would have to try and write something more him, more Genis-like.

There had been papers, ripped, smashed, crumpled up, filling up the floor of his room. It was difficult to even start writing. And when his pen had reached half the page, he couldn't decide if what he had done was acceptable.

To be formal or not? To be romantic or innocent? To ramble or get straight to the point? To say everything on his mind or hold back? He felt that he had at least written every kind of letter there was by the time he had reached his second pack.

Genis never gave up. He was intent on writing the _perfect_ letter. Perfect in its own way.

It took days, months to finally settle upon the one true letter. He nearly threw it away along with the others. It was imperfect when he had gone over it the night before. Yet, he found it captivating upon giving it a second chance.

This was the letter. The one that he would give to Mithos.

So much effort had gone into this. Was it good enough? Would he like it? What would he think about his lack of romantic vocabulary? Maybe it was a little to formal. Maybe it was too mature for him.

And maybe, just maybe, it was perfect.

Nevertheless, Genis was proud. It was one that he had written. It was only his voice, his thoughts, his emotions, his heart poured into ink and turned words into a meaningful message. It made him happy. But, only one thought, one cold reminder could cause his joy to come crashing down in a single moment.

The intended recipient would never get to read it.


	2. Dance

_~Dance~_

"One, two, three, four…"

The blonde mutters the words in a rhythmic tone, keeping up with the imaginary music that fills the air. Its a slow pace that he keeps, a beginner's speed to an easy dance.

A gentle hand rests against Genis' back, supporting him. A smaller hand grips onto Mithos' shoulder, scared to let go. Their free hands intertwine with each other, extending as far as each was comfortable with. Two bodies are nearly pressed together, only centimeters apart.

"You're doing fine, Genis."

"You said that earlier before I messed up…"

Mithos lightly chuckles to that response. Yes, he had told him before, constantly reassured him that he was doing fine. There were only a few moments when Genis seemed to lose his momentum and stumbled with a step or two.

"You can do it. I know you can."

Genis doesn't think so. Dancing was not in his set of skills. Yet, it seemed to be in Mithos', just like everything else.

"One, two, three, four…"

As he starts that steady count again, they begin to move. One foot, another follows, then another. They know the steps, the only problem that rises is when they need to be executed.

"Ah!" Genis gasps as he ends up stepping on Mithos' foot. Again. His hands tighten upon this fumbling step, accidentally bumping into the other as well. He feels so embarrassed with every mistake he makes.

"I think I'm supposed to be surprised by that, not you."

"Sorry. You know I didn't mean it." Genis lets out a sigh. "I told you I'm not a great with dancing…"

"You don't have to be, but its nice to know the basics."

"But when am I ever going to need to know how to dance?"

"Well…I like dancing with you."

Genis can feel his face heat up as those words settle into his mind. He wanted to dismiss it as Mithos just being nice, saying kind things to him. But he also knew that he meant it. No matter how many times he failed, the older half-elf never expressed any kind of annoyance with him.

"I-I guess it won't be so bad to keep on learning with you…"

"Don't worry, if you misstep, just know I'm here to catch you."

Mithos smile accompanying his words are contagious as Genis finds himself smiling to. He wishes he could say the same, though its only a dream. One day he could say it, if he ever learns to master these steps just as he did with his spells.

"One, two, three, four…"


	3. Reverse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is based on the anime version of the scene rather than the game one.

_~Reverse~_

Silence fills the air the moment this battle is deemed to be over. A blood stained blade is pushed through a young half-elf, thats the final blow. The battle had gone on for far too long and in the end, there could only be one victor. He knows its all over now. Everything he's done for all these centuries; its over. And just when he was so close, if he had landed the winning blow, the world could have been his.

Kratos, the one to have finished off this four thousand year old child, swiftly pulls the sword out of his body. He lacks any sort of reaction to what he's done. All the mercenary knows is that this was necessary if they wanted to continue on, to move forward. In a battle, hesitation would lead to death. That is what led to his.

"No…" Mithos opens his mouth, words finally finding their way out of his throat. They had been stuck there for what seemed like minutes. The time that had stopped during that fight had now returned, granting him the ability to speak once more. "No, Genis!"

The blonde half-elf finds strength in his legs and takes a step forward, nearly falling. He's not gravely injured, he can walk perfectly fine. But his body, his heart feels so heavy. It feels as if he's taken the same hit as Genis had.

Before he can take another step, he's stopped by someone. His sister, Martel.

There's a painfully sad look on her face as she gently puts a hand on Mithos' shoulder, preventing him from moving forward. "Mithos…" Her voice is as gentle as her touch, but there is not much she can say. And saying nothing at all seems the best for now.

For once, her brother does not want to listen to her. He just wants to help his friend, or the person he thought was his friend. Genis still was his friend, wasn't he? Yes. He would always consider him one. They had made a promise. They would be friends forever.

But it was his fault that he had died. Mithos was a distraction. The reason Genis had hesitated was thanks to him, what he said- what did he even say to make him stop for just that second? It wasn't that long ago yet he had lost that memory. What filled it was that piercing blow, the loss of life that flowed out of his friend's eyes, the blood dripping from his body.

What a friend he was, being the cause of his death.

"Mithos…" Genis speaks, voice so weak its painful for the blonde to even hear. He's doing all he can to remain standing, a hand covering that fresh and mortal wound. It wouldn't be long now before his body would begin to disappear. He'd lose his physical form and eventually be confined to that cursed gem.

"I'm…sorry…"

 _Why are you apologizing?_ Mithos wanted to ask, yet again words had been stuck in his throat. He mentally curses at himself for being weak, for not being able to save him.

"I...wanted to stay here longer…" There are genuine tears filling Genis' eyes. He's crying for the first time in years. Its a foreign feeling, having water fall and slide down his cheeks. Yet, he recalls one time when tears would not stop falling so much, more than they were now. When he had lost his sister. "For just a while longer...I wanted to be your friend..."

"You could have! You still can!" Mithos shouts, desperation in his tone as he tries to pull away from his sister. He doesn't. "There's still a chance you can live!" He wants to believe that there is. Genis can still live. He can. He has to. He will.

All that hope is lost the moment Genis' body begins to falter. Its becoming a shining yet transparent hue. His time is nearly up. That crystal is calling for him, wanting that life that is finally burning out.

"I'm so tired of this," Genis breathes out. "I'm sorry, Raine. I'm sorry..." He apologizes over and over. His tired and weak voice eventually regains some energy. Although dying, he's finding some life to continue for these final moments.

"You know what to do." He's fading away, his image becoming that of a ghost. The angel's body returns to how it was minutes ago, unharmed and healthy. It didn't even look as if he had been fighting for his life, that is if he hadn't been in the process of disappearing. "Destroy my crystal, please."

Its not directed to anyone, but Mithos feels as if he's speaking to him. Genis' gaze had been focused on the whole group, though found his eyes resting on Mithos every now and then.

"Kratos…" His eyes are never taken off Genis, even as he speaks that man's name. Mithos does not need to finish that order.

And the human doesn't need any more. He understands. Finish what he started.

Mithos' shuts his eyes tightly, waiting for a sound of a gem being shattered. He doesn't want to see his death, not a second time. This one would make it permanent. There would be no more hope for Genis the moment his crystal was shattered.

"I guess this is my final goodbye." The sound of metal colliding with crystal is heard. His Cruxis Crystal is shattered. "I could not follow your ideals. In the end, I will always follow my own. No matter what, I would never falter from my chosen path."

The moment he feels Genis' mana completely disappear, Mithos drops to his knees. Tears now fill his eyes, overflowing and run down his cheeks. He can't stop them but he was glad to have held them in for so long. He never wanted Genis to see him cry.

Martel is quick to kneel beside her brother. She knows how much the other half-elf had meant to him, how close they had gotten during their short time together. It hurts her to, she had come to like the boy as well. "There, there." She coos, a hand rubbing the boy's back. _You were in so much pain, we only wanted to help._

Kratos looks away from the scene, looking emotionless. Yet, he's not proud of this outcome. It could have been different. _You could have lived with us._

Yuan, like Kratos, seems unfazed by what has happened. Although anyone close to him would be able to tell that he was unsettled, bothered by what he had just been a part of. He may not have liked that angel, but even he knew life must come to an end. _Your dream could not be fulfilled, even if you did achieve your goal._

Anna, the Chosen, cannot bear to see how hurt Mithos is. She wishes that Genis could have lived. In another life they could have all been friends, that is what she thought. That is what she wanted to believe. _If only you would have found the beauty in this world._

Mithos continues to cry against Martel, letting out as much as he could. Though he knows that he can't let his emotions take over. As much as he wants to cry and plead for Genis to have a second chance, for them to start over, for a chance to save him, he won't be given it. _You'll always have a place in my heart and you'll always be my friend, Genis._


	4. One-Sided

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't done first person for like years;; And here I go choosing Mithos to try writing with this perspective.

_~One-Sided~_

"P-P-Presea…" Genis stutters, a fairly obvious shade of pink tinting his cheeks. "U-Um…"

"Yes, Genis?" That human girl decides to give him her attention. I wish she hadn't.

"I…um, w-well…"

I watch him fumble with his words, trying to find something to say. His hands are held together, trying to find something to do with them. He's nervous, he always gets this way around her. Lovestruck.

I can imagine what he wants to tell her. Compliment her most likely. And then she'll say something in return, not what he's expecting. And then he'll clear up the misunderstanding, she'll say what she believes is right and either he'll redden at a successful attempt or sigh at a failure.

I've seen it play out before, as much as I dislike it. All I have to do is wear a smile and comfort him after this attempt. It's pretty easy to do, at least it was. I hate watching it play out now. My heart grows heavy the longer this persists, the longer I have to give him encouragement.

_I don't want Genis to be with her._

If there was one thing that I could not understand or wrap my mind around Genis, it would be this. His...infatuation with that failure, that disposable unworthy being.

How could he like a human girl?

_How could he not like me instead?_

What's so special about her?

_Aren't I better than her?_

They have nothing in common.

_We have so much to share._

She's a human.

_I'm a half-elf like you._

"Mithos?"

"Huh?"

I hadn't realized Genis had approached, that girl walking off elsewhere. Ah. I suppose I missed my chance to play my supportive role to him. By the look on his face, it seemed this had been a failed attempt. There was a slight look of disappoint that he was trying to hide.

"You looked like you were thinking really hard about something."

"I was thinking about-" _you_ , "the past."

"Oh."

That's one way to calm his curiosity. For the time being. Though for once, I really wasn't thinking about something that happened centuries ago. I was thinking about this moment. There were rare moments, though they were becoming more frequent, when I began to lose myself around Genis. I think about now. I think about him and nothing else. I can't tell if its a good or bad thing, but…I don't mind it.

"Sorry. How did it go with Presea?" I ask, deciding to play the good friend.

That blush resurfaces once more.

_And I can't help but think how cute he looks._

"Oh, it, um…" He lets out a sigh, "Not that well…but I think I'm getting better at speaking with her." A smile shines upon his face as he believes in that hope. He's so bright and filled with…love for her.

_I want it directed towards me._

"You are." I reach out, put a hand on his shoulder, offer a gentle and warm smile. "Just keep it up. I'm here for you."

Genis's smile changes, its softer and filled with kindness. Its not the sort of heartwarming smile I want, but I'll take it.

_One day I'll get that smile that he saves just for her to be mine._

"Thanks, Mithos. You're the best."

_But not good enough for you, huh?_

"Hey, Genis?"

"Yeah?"

I only wish to ask him if he could ever like me. Or even say it. But the way he looks at her, I know the answer will only be in the form of friendship. Asking a question isn't that difficult of a task. It's almost funny. I have so much power to wield and yet here I am, hesitating to speak my true feelings.

_Genis, oh, if only you knew what you've done to me._

"I think you're the best."

_The best person I could ever have walk into my life._


	5. Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AU where Genis sides with Mithos.

_~Run~_

It was the first thought that came to his mind. Just one simple word, one simple action for him to follow.

_Run._

All had been lost. Mithos was gone, there was no one else to turn to. It had only been the two half-elves against that group Genis used to align himself with. And now that Mithos had been defeated, that left Genis to deal with them.

But he couldn't do this on his own.

He was weak, hurt, alone, scared. Mithos had given him strength to fight them and now it had disappeared along with him.

Tears filled his eyes as he looked to the gleaming Cruxis Crystal on the ground. He had managed to stop this once before, but he had failed to prevent it this time. His chest was heavy and he cast a gaze filled with sorrow, disbelief, even hatred to the group who had caused this to happen.

They looked at him with pity. They didn't see him as an enemy in the end, did they? They still wanted to reason with him. They wanted him back.

"Genis…"

"Come back to use."

"Its okay, we won't…"

"You don't have to do this anymore."

"We miss you."

"Please."

The young half elf wanted to shut this world out along with their voices. He didn't want to hear this, any of it.

They're still talking to him. He doesn't know what they're saying anymore. And he can't find the strength in him to fight back. So, he doesn't.

Instead, he takes the gem of his fallen friend and runs.

It's a cowardly thing to do, he knows. But he's always been one. A scared little thing that can't be brave when on his own.

He can hear their voices, calling for him, telling him to stop. He could swear that Lloyd's voice is the loudest and that he's right behind him. It takes so much not to look back. And he doesn't.

He keeps running.

That's all he can do.


End file.
